[The Glory Unveiled]
For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but willpower is not enough to accomplish it.” [ Romans 7:18 TPT ]
Some people have spent their entire lives attempting to extract “goodness” from themselves. The harsh reality, however, is that there is no inherent goodness in our flesh. We may aspire to do what is right and deceive ourselves into thinking we can accomplish righteousness through our own strength. Yet, our willpower will inevitably let us down every time. The startling truth is that not even a born-again man or woman can obey God’s laws using their own fleshly energy. The purpose of the law is to reveal the nature of sin and our inability to save ourselves. The sole escape from sin is the grace of God. Our reliance on Christ is the way out. We must continue to depend on Christ at all times, especially after accepting Him as Lord. The flesh is both unwilling and unable to fulfill God’s law, whether a person is saved or lost. The sooner we acknowledge this truth, the sooner we can cease striving to meet God’s standards through our own fleshly power. Certain religions impose strict rules for living in holiness, and often, as adherents rely on their willpower to obey, they end up doing the opposite. Their awareness of what they should do arouses lust within them, and the desire to indulge in these lustful desires grows stronger. The apostle Paul, using himself as a hypothetical case study to illustrate what happens when one depends on their willpower, stated, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19). This is the outcome for anyone embarking on the futile journey of trying to honor God in the strength of their flesh. Regardless of how convinced you are about your self-life, do not trust it to lead you toward righteous living. It will fail every time. In short, we must reach the end of ourselves before we can truly come to God. There is no alternative path.
Prayer_Bead: Father of Lights in whom there is no shadow of turning, thank you for your grace. The life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in your Son, Jesus Christ.
Wisdom_Quote: The self-life has no shelf life.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.